Sunburst Fundraising Concert
The inaugural Sunburst Fundraising Concert, organised by The Business Times and presented by CapitaLand Hope Foundation, took place on 20 October at the SOTA Concert Hall. The concert raised $228,000 for its two beneficiaries: the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Singapore (MDAS) and the SOTA Student Assistance Fund (SAF). Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and Trade and Industry), was the Guest of Honour.
Aside from raising funds, the concert was also a celebration of talents from people of all abilities. The concert's opening performance saw former Nominated Member of Parliament Eunice Olsen performing with members from MDAS. Visually impaired vocalist Adelyn Koh sang two songs beautifully, one of which was a duet with SOTA student Ariadna Yassin, and hearing impaired pianist Ron Tan played two of his self-composed works.
SOTA students and alumni also readily volunteered their time and efforts for the concert. Students Natasha da Costa, Syakirah Noble, Adam Lim, Kevin Tristan, Ariadna Yassin, Michael Huang, Olivia Yeo, Abree Tan, Pragya Jha and Gwyneth Carelo showcased their musical talents and dance creativity, while alumni Lin Xiangning, Samuel Phua, Shurthi Nair, Iswarya Jayakumar and Amni Musfirah took time out of their busy schedules to perform for a meaningful cause.
The concert also screened a short clip of the joint linoleum printmaking workshop between SOTA Visual Arts students and MDAS members. The artworks were incorporated into the Year 1 & 2 Drawing Out exhibition at the SOTA Gallery.
The evening concert closed with a rousing standing ovation for all the performers. It was truly a delight watching people from different backgrounds and of diverse abilities coming together for the cause!
Photos contributed by Mr Alex Toh, Mr Colin Cheong and Brian Ko